Sweet route, covered in Harlin's old West Coast Rock Climbs guide. You can also buy PDF topos from Will Cottrell, contact him at whc@innercite.com for info on various packs he has for sale (for those not familiar with it, War of the Walls is also known as Wall of the Worlds).

Or, simply hike up to the right side of Calaveras Dome, hike along the base past a huge clean slab with a giant right-facing corner on its left side. Just to the left of the giant corner (which has several great short 5.8-10+ climbs in/near the corner) is an obvious splitter 1-1.25" crack, 165' tall. The direct finger crack start is 5.11, the left start up a ramp is 5.10a. Originally done as two pitches (5.10a, 5.10b) with a hanging belay, you should link it into one long killer pitch (5.10c). Next pitch climbs left under the roof (wild) with thin pro for 40' to a finger crack. Go up the finger crack and the dihedral above to a huge ledge (can bail left from the dihedral at 2 different points, a 5.6 ramp through a bush, and a 5.9+ face on knobs just at the base of the dihedral). The dihedral itself is 5.9+-10c and runout, depending on who you ask. The ledge is a giant sandy dream, but watch out for wasp nests in the sand.

From the ledge, move up 40-50' to the highest reasonable belay point (3rd class), then a sweet 200' 5.9 dihedral to a big angling ledge. Move right up the ledge, left up a flake (run it out & use long slings to avoid rope drag), then up wander knobby face past a few bolts, 5.10a fairly runout. Next pitch is AWESOME, 5.9 face, very runout with three 1/4" bolts & a few pro placements to a bolted belay. Just above this belay, the angle of the dome kicks back severely, and it's easy climbing, so most people rap from there.

Oh yeah, the other key beta: in case you're tempted to bring one rope and walk off, don't.

That's one of the nastiest descents you'll ever do, unless you really like jumping through poison oak on moss covered boulders, downclimbing moss-covered slabs, and getting sliced up by manzanita bushes. And then more poison oak.

Rap it, two 60m ropes are best.

Also, all bolts except the protection bolts on the last hard pitch are good (I think it was Eddie Joe who replaced them), haven't heard if anyone has replaced those last 3 bolts (haven't been there since '98 or so). There's a 50 foot runout with sustained killer 5.9 climbing off the 3rd rusty 1/4" bolt, don't fall.

Greg, don't mean to step on toes here. but as you say there is a lot of crap on this sight.

In reply to:

Originally done as two pitches (5.10a, 5.10b) with a hanging belay, you should link it into one long killer pitch (5.10c).

Not accurate. Yes the two pitches link, but the 10b is two moves above the a small stance, over a bulge with good pro. The rest is solid 10a except near the top. If your not in shape expect to get worked. Never is it considered 10c. Even the 10c traverse is not that hard if you do it once.

In reply to:

Go up the finger crack and the dihedral above to a huge ledge (can bail left from the dihedral at 2 different points, a 5.6 ramp through a bush, and a 5.9+ face on knobs just at the base of the dihedral). The dihedral itself is 5.9+-10c and runout, depending on who you ask.

WHAT?Way confusing! Belay at the end of the traverse for rope drag. Then, continue up to the base of the dihedral (... 5.9 face on knobs just at the base of the dihedral), OR from the belay go up and left to a 5.8 hand crack (original route). The crack will take you to the TOP of the dihedral. If you choose to climb the dihedral (recommended), I know of NO PLACE to bail from unless you leave gear. The dihedral is 10a/b, pro is OK (small stuff at the bottom). Above this corner you come to Big Sandy Ledge. 200ft 5.9 corner above the ledge. Move up high to belay it or you will be simul climbing.

If you choose to walk off, go west and descend between Hidden dome and Cal dome. It is not that bad! I have ascended that trail with little trouble besides being steep. Be aware that it is NOT a well used trail, but the route is relatively obvious.

rickoldschool, that's funny, because I heard the same thing about the descent from the guy who led us down it. He said that a few years back when he'd done it (around 93?) it was no big deal. He admitted it was MUCH worse when we did it. Maybe it depends on brush fires among the poison oak? Also, maybe someone's been using the lower approach to Hidden Wall instead of the shorter upper approach, and cleaned it out?

There is a bolted anchor at the far outside lip of the big midway ledge, you rap down quite a ways to the climber's right of the pitch up to the ledge, you rap straight to the top of the first (original second) pitch.

I should have been more careful, should have said "escape" instead of "bail", I wasn't talking about rapping but about climbing to the left, I didn't realize that "bail" is automatically connected to rapping in some people's terminology.

Ratings are something that is always subjective, for instance I would call the "5.8 hand crack" that you mentioned 5.6. There's no point in getting mad at someone for being off a letter grade from what you think. My friends all called it 10c, Cottrell calls it 10c, and I think it is very comparable in difficulty to similar longer 10c's in the Valley like the first pitch of Freeblast and Lunatic Fringe. But since it's so uniform in size, if your hands/fingers are a certain size, I wouldn't be surprised if it felt easy. I also thought the 10c roof pitch was easy for the grade, just very exposed. But again, there's no point in arguing ratings, a lot of parties bail after trying to start the roof and freaking out!

man, i thought someone would have mentioned by now how nice the belays are. it is THE way off cal dome on the right side. Metolius Raphangers from top to bottom, so nice. props to Ron and E.C. after doing Green Sponge it's a short trip up and right to the rap route